How to Write a Song
Step 1:
Think of a dramatic moment in your life. For example, I’m on my period and this morning, I was craving Cheerios, but WE WERE OUT. Obviously, now, I’m heartbroken, and that bottled up emotion is perfect for a song.
Step 2:
You could go about this one of two ways. Write a song and then come up with a title or come up with a title and then write a song.
Normally, I choose a title. Taking the incident in step 1, let’s call the song- Lost Cheerios. Wonderful- I’m sure the listener will be enthralled.
Step 3:
I have a short attention span. So, this is normally the time when I plug in headphones and fangirl on Pintrest while jamming out- I recommend Dear Evan Hansen, Heathers and EVERY OTHER BROADWAY MUSICAL EVER, if anyone is curious (I officially endorse McNamawyer in case anyone is wondering)
But, then I remember… right, there’s something I need to be doing- given that someone, after like an hour (normally my mom) is like “Christina, WTF?”
Step 4:
So, I yell back, “WRITING A SONG” and they shut up because, you know, creativity takes quiet- right?
Anyway, so I pick an inspiration- like a genre, or an audience or something, so you can know who to write to.
See the genres for reference
Happy Cheesy Love Song
Sad Cheesy Breakup Song
Happy Breakup Song
Screw the World and the Government Song
Songs about Your Precious Child (or Pet)
Songs about Serious Crap (not that the “serious crap” is crap)
Country Music about Cats
Country Music about Roads
Country Music about Trucks
Dark and Brooding Emo Music
Dude Yelling About Problems
Dude Yelling About Things that Aren’t Problems
Songs about How Much You Hate Mondays
see audience for references
Loveable Old People
Grumpy People
Dark and Emo Teenagers
Babies
Pissed Off People
Non-Pissed Off People
People Who Have No Music Taste
People Who Like Screaming
Moms
Dads
Hippies
Koalas (what, they’re SO cute- I had to give them a category)
For this Lost Cheerios song, I was thinking “Sad Cheesy Breakup Song” directed at pissed off people- because who could be on their period and NOT be pissed off? Like, if you are, I would love to meet you, and I would hug you and ask you if you are magic.
Step 5:
Now, I should probably start writing the song. First, I write the chorus- some call it the refrain. Anyway, you think of how the event made you feel, and make it rhyme. Get as raw and emotional as you want- use cliche metaphors- I don’t care. Basically, it’s kinda like writing a poem- but the trick is every line doesn’t have to rhyme. Only every other.
To distinguish the refrain, I normally put symbols at either side, like those star things that look like this:*** (damn, I love those things) or the hashtag symbol (or if you feel old fashioned “the number symbol”, but we all know what it’s used for nowadays)
Here’s an example:
*Sometimes I dream
And I know it’s stupid
But I think you’ll come back to me
Because I don’t know why you let go
Your friends all tell me they don’t know
I’ve asked the milk, the granola
As if any cheap rip off could hold up to ya
But in the middle of the night
I don’t know
and I hope some day I’ll get back
My beautiful lost Cheerios*
Step 6:
Now that you’ve got the chorus/refrain, you write a bunch of verses. I always do about 3–5, but hell, write 400 if you can. Kudos to you, the next American Pie lyricist.
Basically, a verse is talking about the thing you’re writing about in more detail. For example, if you’re writing a cheesy love song, you write a verse about how you met them, how they make you feel or describe their physical features, if you’d like.
Going back to the poetry analogy, you’re just writing multiple poems with the same theme.
So, in this song, Lost Cheerios, let’s say (because as I’ve mentioned, I have NO attention span) I wrote the first verse about the incident, the second about how much it sucks to be on your period and the third one about how much I love Cheerios and I hope I can get some more.
Step 7:
Don’t worry. It’s almost done. Once you’re comfortable with the length and the verses in general, it’s time to establish a voice. The thing I said in the previous step about having the same theme? Yeah, you also need the same tone/voice. Which is probably two different things, but I don’t really care :).
Anyway, if you want to sound like a dark and brooding emo person, make sure the entire song sounds like they’re singing it- and that the verses kinda sorta fit together.
If you’re good you can even eventually start making songs into stories, which is the goal. For example, in Lost Cheerios, there’s the story of how I lost the Cheerios (maybe, because I live in a family of 6, including my twin brother, a teenage boy who runs cross country and grows five inches per second and who loves Cheerios about as much as I do) and then, I talk about what I did and how I felt about it.
Step 8:
You’re done. Go back to fangirling.
